Char Siu Sauce (Chinese BBQ Sauce)
On October 20, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
With just 8 ingredients and less than 30 minutes, you can create this sweet and savory Char Siu Sauce. This Chinese-style BBQ sauce is perfect as a marinade or sauce for pork, chicken, or any succulent Chinese meal.
Char Siu Sauce (Chinese BBQ Sauce)
You might be asking, “What is Char Siu Sauce?” If you’ve ever ordered Chinese BBQ pork or chicken with that glossy red color and sweet, savory flavor, that was char siu. This Chinese-style BBQ sauce brings the same mouthwatering flavor and look. By combining soy sauce, brown sugar, and Chinese 5 spice powder, you’ll create a thick, sticky glaze that turns simple cuts of meat into something your friends and family will never forget.
You can whip this savory sauce up in under 30 minutes with just 8 ingredients, then use it as a marinade, glaze, or even a finishing sauce. However you use it, this sauce brings authentic Chinese BBQ flavor right to your backyard.
Ingredients for Chinese BBQ Sauce
This sauce is simple to make, but wow is it delicious. With these ingredients, you’ll create a sauce that’s sweet, savory, and full of Chinese flavor:
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 Tablespoons red miso paste
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Chinese 5 spice powder
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring (this is optional, but it adds that distinctive look)
How to Make Char Siu Sauce
When you serve meats glazed with this homemade Char Siu Sauce, your guests will assume you spent hours perfecting that glossy, caramelized finish. However, this restaurant-quality sauce comes together in under 30 minutes. Here’s how you can make it yourself:
- Combine ingredients. First, combine all of the ingredients for your sauce in a pot or saucepan over medium heat. Stir everything together with a whisk until the brown sugar dissolves and everything is incorporated. You’re looking for a dark and glossy mahogany sauce.
- Simmer. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Let the sauce bubble gently for about 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. You want the sauce to thicken to a thick, almost-syrupy consistency.
- Cool and use or store. Remove the sauce from the heat and give it 10 minutes to cool to room temperature before using it. Once cooled, fire up your favorite grill and use your sauce to marinate, baste, glaze, and sauce any and all of your favorite meats for a Chinese-inspired boost of flavor.
Ways to Use Char Siu Sauce
One of the best parts about making your own Char Siu Sauce is how versatile it is. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- As a marinade. Pour the sauce over your favorite meats in a gallon-size zip-top bag or covered glass bowl, then refrigerate to soak in all the flavor and color. I recommend letting your meat marinate overnight for the best results, but make sure you go for at least 2 hours.
- As a baste or glaze. Use a brush to baste the sauce onto your meat occasionally while grilling. Using the sauce this way gives your meat a glossy, caramelized texture your guests will rave about.
- As a finishing sauce. Drizzle the sauce over your grilled meat right before you’re ready to serve it. This adds an extra layer of saucy flavor and texture. Plus, it just looks so mouthwatering.
These are just a few of my favorite uses, but you can use this sauce however you and your family love the most.
Storage and Making Ahead
Your Char Siu Sauce stores easily, so it’s perfect for making ahead of time. If you want to make it beforehand (or you need to store any leftovers), allow your sauce to cool to room temperature before pouring it into a container. I love storing my sauce in these lidded-Mason jars, but any airtight container you have will work. Once your sauce is sealed up, store it in your refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
Susie’s Char Siu Sauce Pro Tips
Every Hey Grill Hey recipe helps you make the best BBQ right in your own backyard, but I’ve got a few BBQ tricks to help you nail this Char Siu Sauce on the first try:
- Don’t rush the simmer. You want to make sure you give your sauce time to simmer to the right consistency. 10 minutes should be sufficient, but simmer to thickness rather than time. You want a sauce that will coat to your whisk, but still drip.
- Remember the food coloring. I know it’s listed as optional in the ingredients, but the red food dye is what gives the sauce that unmistakable coloring you see in the best Chinese restaurants. Skipping this ingredient won’t affect flavor, but you’ll miss out on that beautiful, rich, red visual appeal.
- Double up. Since this sauce stores so easily, I recommend doubling (or even tripling) the batch. You can do that right in the recipe card with no ingredient math, then have it on hand whenever you feel like making Chinese BBQ.
More BBQ Sauce Recipes
Once you see how easy it is to create the Char Siu Sauce with the Hey Grill Hey method, you’ll be hooked. Luckily for you, I’ve got dozens of BBQ sauce recipes for whatever flavor profile you’re feeling. Here are a few of Hey Grill Hey’s most popular BBQ sauce recipes to try next:
You can find all these recipes (along with hundreds of the best Hey Grill Hey BBQ recipes) here on the site, as well as in the Hey Grill Hey App. With the app, you can create meal plans, build shopping lists, and even scale up the recipes right from your phone!
Easy Char Siu BBQ Sauce Recipe
Try this Char Siu Sauce you made yourself, and you’ll never go back to the store-bought stuff. After you enjoy it, make sure to come back to give it a 5-star rating with a comment about how you used it. I love hearing about your BBQ wins!
Don’t forget to follow Hey Grill Hey on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to the YouTube channel. With Hey Grill Hey as your #1 BBQ resource, you can be a Backyard BBQ Hero!
Char Siu Sauce (Chinese BBQ Sauce)
Ingredients
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup Hoisin sauce
- 2 Tablespoons red miso paste
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Chinese 5 spice powder
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring optional
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients. Add all sauce ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat, then whisk until everything is incorporated.½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup Hoisin sauce, 2 Tablespoons red miso paste, 1 ½ Tablespoons Chinese 5 spice powder, 1 Tablespoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon red food coloring
- Simmer. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat. Allow the sauce to simmer until it thickens.
- Cool and use or store. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool before using. If you’re making it ahead of time, allow it to cool to room temperature before storing. Place your sauce in an airtight container, then store in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
